The invention relates to a method of routing traffic on divided highways and particularly to a method of routing traffic on divided highways which is particularly of value when an accident is blocking one lane, when the predominant flow of traffic is all in a single direction, when construction is blocking a lane or even as the result of weather conditions such as a flooded section of highway.
The delays caused by such disruptions result in major delays for travellers as well as the loss of many otherwise productive hours and the waste of enormous quantities of fuel while engines are left idling in bumper to bumper traffic.
The prior art includes methods of directing traffic that include the use of traffic lights on multi-lane highways that are not divided. In a typical application a four lane highway may have two lanes for traffic proceeding in a first direction and two lanes for traffic proceeding in a second direction during off peak periods of travel such as mid-day and night times. Typically, this system may be as implemented as simply as turning the traffic lights for one of the lanes nominally for traffic proceeding in the first direction all red continuously and providing warning signs for traffic proceeding in the first direction that only one lane is available during certain hours. Simultaneously, traffic proceeding in the second direction is provided with three lanes in which each lane is simultaneously displayed the same cycle of sequentially displayed green, yellow and red lights. This method is particularly adapted to cyclical patterns of traffic flow where, for example, there is a regular pattern such as a peak of traffic into a city in the morning and a peak of traffic out in the evening.
Manual procedures are also for even divided highways in which construction workers typically shunt traffic from one or often two lanes to a crossover that carries the traffic to the other side of the divider so that, for example, one lane of traffic will proceed in a first direction and one lane will proceed in a second direction and both lanes are disposed on the same side of the divider.
The later system is best adapted to construction situations where the requirement for rerouting of traffic can be anticipated well in advance and will often stay in effect for long periods of time.
It is an object of the invention to provide a method for diverting traffic in a multi-lane divided highway to deal with problems created by accidents, construction and the dominant flow of traffic being in a single direction.
It is another object of the invention to provide a method that may implemented rapidly to deal with rapidly changing situations such as accidents or even evolving unexpected weather related situations such as a stretch of flooded highway.
It is still another object of the invention to provide a method of directing traffic that may even be implemented remotely and does not require the presence of human beings at the site of the traffic disruption.
Yet another object of the invention is to minimize the waste of gasoline that results from many people being forced to wait, often for hours, because of traffic delays resulting from accidents that block traffic, construction that blocks traffic, or other disruption of traffic.
Still another object of the invention is to minimize costs by providing an array of signs that control the detour path of traffic that may be used in all directions.